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Fairwork AI
There is nothing “artificial” about the immense amount of human labour that builds, supports, and maintains AI products and services. Many workers interact with AI systems in the workplace, and many others perform the critical data work that underpins the development of AI systems. Building on the tried and tested Fairwork methodology, Fairwork AI is investigating and evaluating the working conditions under such arrangements via a series of in-depth case studies.
Using the Fairwork AI Principles, produced via a year-long global tripartite consultation with key stakeholders as part of a project funded by the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence, the project will identify the level of workplace fairness and advocate for improved conditions right across the global production networks; from warehouses managed by AI systems in the Global North to outsourcing companies providing data annotation and content moderation services in the Global South. Fairwork AI has produced a number of reports and policy briefs:
Fairwork AI Ratings 2023: The Workers Behind AI At Sama
The first Fairwork AI report presents the results of a case study into Sama, a data annotation company that aims to have a positive social impact, which was conducted as part of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) “AI for Fair Work” project. Across the world, there is increasing attention paid to the precarious situation of workers that are part of the AI supply chain. The Fairwork AI ratings presented in this report, which assess the working conditions of workers at Sama in different job roles and performing various tasks, show that fairness at work is not a given, but that by pointing to shortcomings and encouraging meaningful pro-worker change, substantial improvements can be achieved. The key improvements Sama made to the working conditions of its workers through their engagement with Fairwork are the focus of this report.
AI for Fair Work: From principles to practices
In partnership with the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI), this project has re-assessed the OECD AI principles with a stronger emphasis on pay, working conditions, management, and representation. In applying them to two working environments (Amazon in the UK, and Sama, a data annotation firm in Kenya and Uganda), it has gathered empirical evidence of their practical use, which will be published in 2024. This report explores the methodology behind the project and highlights the multifaceted approach that must be taken to improve work in the face of AI.
AI for Fair Work Report
The AI for Fair Work Report (2022) presents the ten initial principles developed through the global tripartite consultation funded by the Global Partnership for Artificial Intelligence.
Work, Regulation, and AI Governance in the UK
This policy brief (2023) presents recommendations on the governance of AI in the workplace in the UK.
Generative AI, Jobs, and Policy Response
The research has also fed into a GPAI Generative AI Policy Brief (2023), which explores the future of work with respect to generative AI.
A Critique of Artificial Intelligence Ethics at Work
The article ‘Politics by Automatic Means? A Critique of AI Ethics at Work’ (2022), published in the Frontiers journal, outlines a critique of existing AI ethics in relation to work.
Fairwork AI Principles
The AI principles are used by Fairwork to assess the working conditions behind the development and deployment AI systems in the context of an employment relationship.